


buried down inside

by highly_caffeinated



Category: Rocketman (2019), Rocketman (2019) RPF
Genre: Eventual Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Light Angst, Self-Esteem Issues, it's basically like their friendship throughout filming and stuff, mentions of past eating disorders, possibly more tags to be added later, richard & taron & jamie are friendship goals, they have a group chat where they send memes to each other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:34:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25722169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/highly_caffeinated/pseuds/highly_caffeinated
Summary: "You know, this really is a great opportunity for you," Jamie said, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Playing Elton John. Don't you want that?""Yeah, it's just... It's complicated," he snapped back, pulling away and storming off to his trailer.All Taron wanted was to be able to keep the things from his past a secret. That way, he could just pretend they didn't exist. That all changes when he gets a call asking if he wants to play one of his biggest idols and he realizes that keeping secrets and doing everything alone could very well be the end of everything he worked for.
Relationships: Jamie Bell & Richard Madden, Jamie Bell & Taron Egerton, Taron Egerton & Elton John, Taron Egerton & Richard Madden
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	buried down inside

**Author's Note:**

> this is a work of fiction. i do not claim to know any of these people and this story is not necessarily an accurate depiction of events. this is just me wanting to write a story about overcoming your fears and having a good group of friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well, i'm back. i got jumped by a very large dog yesterday while on a run, so i figured i would spend my time writing. this won't be as angsty as my other stories & romantic relationships have never been super easy for me to write, so this is gonna be all about friends supporting each other and stuff.
> 
> anyway... i hope you all enjoy :)

“Wow,” he started, running a hand through his hair as he held his phone to his ear, “that’s, um… That’s really great.”

“You know, Taron, I really thought you would sound more excited about this,” he heard Dexter laugh on the other end and he gave a half-hearted chuckle of his own. “Do you not want to do the movie anymore?”

“No no, it’s not that,” he sighed. “It’s just… A really big decision, you know?” He took a deep breath. “I don’t want to mess it up.”

That wasn’t the real reason he was hesitant to take this role. Well, okay… That wasn’t the _whole_ real reason. If he were being honest with himself, he didn’t want the other man to know the reason he was wary of doing the movie.

And it’s not that he didn’t trust him; he had worked with Dexter before and knew that he was a good person, he just wasn’t all too keen on the idea of _anyone_ finding out about his past issues.

“Look, why don’t you think it over and then come to my office in a couple of days to let me know what you think. Does that sound good?” Taron nodded quickly, momentarily forgetting that Dexter couldn’t actually see him.

“Yeah. I’ll, uh… I’ll see you in a couple of days.”

*****

He was nervous.

Actually… Scratch that. He was _terrified_ , more so than he had been in a long time.

Maybe it was because he had spent the entirety of the past two days thinking about what he should do in regard to the movie, and he still had no idea. On the surface, it seemed like such a simple decision; and yet, the question of whether or not he should do it had been plaguing him non-stop since he spoke to Dexter on the phone.

And it’s not that he didn’t want the job. He had liked Elton John’s music for as long as he could remember. He even sang “Your Song” during his audition for drama school. He just couldn’t shake the fear that something would end up going horribly wrong.

“Now, Taron,” Elton started as soon as the younger man took a seat at the table, “Dexter tells me that you’re having some reservations about taking the role.”

“Uh… Yeah,” he mumbled, looking down at his hands. He could feel his face getting hotter by the second. “It’s not that I don’t want it,” he started rambling, “because, trust me, it would be an honor to play you in this movie.” He paused as he attempted to gather his thoughts. “It’s just… I’m a little nervous about it.”

Now, Elton didn’t know Taron _that_ well yet, but he could tell that the younger man had something that he needed to get off his chest. He figured that Taron might be more willing to talk if it was just the two of them, so he turned to David and Dexter. “Would you mind giving us a minute?” he asked them, a calm look on his face. They both gave a quick nod and hurried out of the room. “Okay then. Now that they’re gone, why don’t you tell me what it is you’re worried about.” He had that same calm look on his face and Taron figured he might as well tell him.

“I’m just a little wary of some of the stuff in the script,” he said, biting his lip nervously. The older man raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“If you’re nervous about any of the scenes I’m sure we can talk to Dexter about it. Nothing is set in stone yet, so it wouldn’t really be an issue.”

“No no,” he waved him off, “it’s not that.” He paused, trying to work up the courage to just come out and say it. “I, uh… I had some issues with food a few years ago and—"

“ _Oh_ ,” he cut in, nodding in understanding. “I get it.”

“Yeah,” he sighed heavily, “and I’m just scared that it will bring up things that I’d rather not remember.”

“Taron,” he said calmly, placing a comforting hand on his arm, “listen to me. I completely understand where you’re coming from.” At this, the younger man looked at him in confusion.

“You do?” Elton nodded, chuckling a little.

“Of course. It’s been over twenty years and there are still times when I feel uncomfortable about it or worried that just hearing about my past will somehow send me into a spiral. It’s definitely gotten easier, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t days that are harder than others.” Taron nodded slowly. “And besides,” he continued, “my eating disorder isn’t even really shown in the movie all that much, so you should be fine.”

“I guess,” he muttered, giving the older man a wary look.

“You really have nothing to worry about, Taron.” He could tell that the other man wasn’t completely reassured yet, so he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and wrote his number on it before pushing it toward him. “And if you find yourself starting to get overwhelmed or you feel like you need to talk to someone,” he paused and pointed to the paper, “I’m always here.”

“Thanks,” he whispered, giving a small smile as he felt his worry beginning to ease. Elton gave him an encouraging smile before giving his hand a gentle pat.

“So… What do you say?” He looked at the younger man expectantly. “Are you in?” Taron looked at the paper in his hand for a minute, running a finger over the number written on it, before nodding, face breaking out in a smile.

“Yeah,” he laughed, “I’m in.” 

“Oh, excellent!” he clapped, a bright smile on his face. “I’ll go and tell David and Dexter that they can come back in.” He practically jumped out of his chair before leaving the room to find the other two men. As soon as the door clicked shut behind Elton, Taron put his head in his hands, sighing deeply and hoping with everything inside of him that he had made the right decision.


End file.
